Carlos Beltrán

For the article on the Mexican progressive rock musician, see Carlos Beltrán (musician)

Carlos Ivan Beltrán (born April 24, 1977 in Manatí, Puerto Rico), now living in Port Washington, New York, is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Mets.

In his youth, Beltrán excelled in all sports, with volleyball and baseball his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen. In 1995, Carlos graduated from Fernando Callejas High School and was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 1995 amateur baseball draft.

Kansas City Royals

Beltrán made his major league debut in 1998, playing 14 games with the Kansas City Royals. In 1999, he won a job in spring training as the Royals' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. By mid-summer, he was displaying surprising power and moved to the #3 slot in the batting order, and he won the American League Rookie of the Year award.

Injuries caused Beltrán to miss part of the 2000 season and he slumped to .247, losing his center field job to the popular Johnny Damon. After Damon was traded to the Athletics following the season, Beltrán regained his job and recaptured his rookie form, batting .306 with 24 home runs and 101 RBI in 2001, and followed up with .273, 29, 105 in 2002, and .307, 26, 100 in 2003.

Houston Astros

Beltrán was known for starting sluggishly every season, like in 2003, when he batted .194 in April. Beltrán was compelled to change that, and he did by hitting .312 and slamming 8 home runs and knocking in 19 RBI's. His fabulous performance led him to be voted as American League Player of the Month for April 2004. Beltran named top AL Player for April 2004, accessed July 2, 2006

Because Kansas City is a small-market club, and Beltrán is represented by agent Scott Boras, trade rumors followed Beltrán through the 2003 and 2004 seasons, as the end of his contract neared and the two sides failed to negotiate a long-term deal. During a press conference following an interleague doubleheader loss to the last-place Montreal Expos, Royals general manager Allard Baird told reporters that he was preparing to dismantle the team and rebuild it for the 2005 season. While Beltrán's name was not mentioned specifically by Royals management, the high-profile player, who was already eligible for free agency following the season, was considered the most likely to garner interest from other teams. On June 24, Beltrán was traded to the Houston Astros in a three-team deal, with the Oakland Athletics getting closer Octavio Dotel and the Royals picking up three prospects.

Beltrán was selected to the American League starting outfield for the 2004 All-Star Game, but he was initially denied a place in the game because of his trade to the National League. After NL starter Ken Griffey, Jr. went on the disabled list just before the All-Star break, Beltrán was named his substitute. Beltrán became the first player ever to be selected for one All-Star team but play for the other.

In the 2004 MLB playoffs, Beltrán tied Barry Bonds's single postseason record with 8 home runs. In Game 5 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, he had two home runs, and he had one in each of the first four games of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, including a game-winner in Game 4. This gave him five straight playoff games with a home run, a new record. It should also be noted that Beltrán accomplished this feat in 5 fewer postseason games than Bonds because Beltrán's Astros did not advance to the World Series, while Bonds' Giants did.

New York Mets

Beltrán became a free agent for the first time after the 2004 season and was touted as the biggest free agent on the market. After the New York Yankees decided against pursuing him, he signed a 7 year - $119 million contract with the New York Mets, the biggest contract in Mets history. It was also only the tenth contract in Major League Baseball history to be worth more than $100 million. Coincidentally, the other center fielder in New York City is the aforementioned Johnny Damon, a fellow Royals alumnus and Boras client who signed with the Yankees in December, 2005.

Reaction to the signing was met with enthusiasm by many, though some felt the Mets may have overpaid. Beltrán is what scouts call a "five-tool player," with excellent fielding skills, a good throwing arm, ability to hit for average, power, and steal bases. In July he was chosen again as a starting outfielder for the National League in the 76th All Star Game. On August 11, 2005, Beltrán was involved in one of the worst accidents in recent Major League Baseball History by colliding "head on" with fellow Mets outfielder Mike Cameron when both were diving to catch a ball. Cameron suffered a concussion, temporary loss of vision, and two broken cheekbones, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Beltrán suffered vertigo for a while, although both players recovered.

When compared against his career numbers, Beltrán's 2005 season could be labeled a disappointment. In 582 at bats Beltrán had a .266 batting average (career-low), 16 home runs (lowest full season total), 78 RBI (lowest full season total), 83 runs scored (lowest full season total), and 17 stolen bases (lowest full season total). Beltrán also struggled with a slightly injured quadricep muscle throughout the season, which greatly limited his speed. Despite his career-low numbers, he was still voted to his second All-Star team.

Carlos Beltrán agreed to play for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, joining Carlos Delgado, Bernie Williams, Javier Vazquez, Ivan Rodriguez and others on the team managed by St. Louis Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo.

Beltrán's 2006 season has started off far better than his first year in New York. Through July 3, he has a batting average of .293, 24 home runs (leads team), 64 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. Although he suffered a strained right hamstring early in the year, Beltrán has remained relatively healthy. Good health and greater production in the line up has allowed Beltrán to put up numbers that were expected of him when he joined the Mets, including 10 home runs in the month of May. By early June he had already surpassed his home run total from 2005, and his stolen bases have risen at a quicker rate. Beltrán was named National League Player of the Week for the week of June 5-11 for his performance on the Mets' road trip. During the week, he hit .483 with 3 homers, had 12 RBI, scored 13 runs , and stole 5 bases.

Beltrán's greatly improved performance secured him a spot in the 2006 All-Star game, his third overall and consecutively. He will be joined by five other Mets, including three other starters, which is a franchise record. Unlike last year, Beltrán's numbers greatly reflect why he warrants being in the starting outfield.

References

External links

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Carlos Beltrán

Kansas City Royals

Houston Astros

New York Mets

See also

References

External links